Editorial: CBID Sparks Downtown Dreaming

As we write, all the leaves are brown and the sky is gray, and it’s certainly been cold enough for anyone who has been out walking, but somehow Richard Griffin and Jayne Hughes have us “downtown dreaming” on this winter’s day.

CBID’s Thursday retreat has us daydreaming about all the things we hope for, for the riverfront, for Garrison Avenue and for Fort Smith families.

Smack in the middle of the land that one day could be the gem at the center of downtown development is the railroad maintenance yard. Admittedly, the railroad was there first, and city attractions have grown up around it. But that’s still some mighty prime real estate tied up in such an ugly way.

So here’s hoping that Commission Chairman Griffin can persuade the Pioneer and Union Pacific railroads to make the move to South R Street sometime soon.

“It all comes down to who pays for what,” he said Thursday.

We hope that the $120,000 the city has budgeted toward the relocation will help convince the railroads to do their part. Because what Downtown Development Coordinator Hughes has planned sounds like a whole lot of fun.

Design work to close North A Street to create a pedestrian mall while redesigning North B Street to accommodate two-way traffic is in the offing. A splash park has been proposed for Compass Park, although funding has not been lined up.

We’re eager to hear more about an idea to illuminate the J. Fred Patton Garrison Avenue bridge. Ozark certainly created a work of art and a tourist attraction when it illuminated the Arkansas River Bridge at Ozark.

We know long-term major projects are out there as well: completing the infrastructure needed to open up the riverfront, imagining a way to build a city hall, finding a keystone or anchor project to set downtown development into high speed.

We’re glad the CBID is doing its part to make real those daydreams that beset us as winter wears on. Ferris wheel, splash park, farmers market, foot traffic and thriving business. Don’t wake us up, just yet.